1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to board games that are based in part on skill and in part on luck, and also perform the function of teaching. More specifically, the present invention relates game board that relate to history and/or geography and to the skills of fact learning, strategy, acquisitions, and chance. In its most preferred embodiments, the present invention game boards are Egyptian pyramid game boards with particular focus on King Tutankhamun, commonly known as King Tut.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
The following prior art is representative of the state of the art in the field of board games:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,026,082 issued to Charles E. Darrow describes a board game apparatus commonly known as “Monopoly”, which involves the use of a game board, dice, moveable pieces, houses, hotels, deeds, chance cards, opportunity cards, play money and rules.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,235 describes a board game apparatus for educating players with respect to tourist attractions within a particular geographical region. The apparatus includes a board having a continuous path comprising areas representing particular localities within the geographical region and a series of cards having either questions concerning the various tourist attractions of the localities or other instructions. Another set of cards represent rewards obtained during the course of playing the game. Each of the areas representing the localities are appropriately marked to indicate whether the particular locality is accessible by boat and/or by airplane while all of the localities are accessible by car. A set of tokens are provided for each player, each set including an automobile token, a boat token and an airplane token, each respective token being permitted to occupy only those areas appropriately designated as being accessible by that particular instrumentality.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,140,319 describes a board game for a plurality of players including the following. A playing board has an endless course thereon for being progressively and periodically traversed in turn by each player during play of the game and comprises a plurality of serially connected playing spaces having indicia thereon for individually identifying respective spaces and the affect of game play upon a player occupying such spaces during traversing of the course. Certain of the contiguous spaces are designated by the indicia for defining distinguishable groups of predetermined numbers of the spaces and providing for the opportunity of acquisition of the spaces of the groups upon a player first occupying a respective one of the spaces of the groups for progressively accumulating all or part of the spaces of the respective groups for differently affecting game play upon another player subsequently occupying any one of the acquired spaces. A plurality of playing pieces is provided for individual use by the players in traversing the course on the board. A device is operable by the players in sequence for randomly determining the number of the spaces to be traversed per turn by the playing piece of each player. A plurality of transparent overlays are provided for respective acquisition by the players and for being placed over predetermined numbers of the spaces of the groups upon acquisition by the players and for being placed over predetermined number of the spaces of the groups upon acquisition of the spaces of the groups and the overlay for further differently affecting game play upon another player subsequently occupying any of the acquired spaces with the overlay thereon, while allowing visual observation of the indicia on the spaces through the transparent overlay thereon.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,407 describes a board game of the kind wherein players are represented by pieces movable on a board along a track of main stations. The number of stations is selected by chance prior to each piece's movement and each player may effect financial transactions, the nature of which transaction depends on the main station on which transaction depends on the main station on which each player's piece lands. The game includes two tracks of main stations, four transit stations enabling movement from one track to the other and a track of index stations along which an index token may move to modify the purchasing power of the currency by which the transactions are effected. One of the two main tracks has a higher proportion of a first type of main station and a lower proportion of a second type of main station than the other main track. Players elect a President who, subject to Congress, determines the tax rates and like matters. Players may buy, sell and rent property, raise loans, buy and sell bonds in simulation of economic competition in a free enterprise society.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,117 describes a board game in which one object is to acquire animal body parts. The game employs a game board, tokens and a set of “Hospital Cards” which designate various animal parts. A round of the game ends once a player completes an animal and has successfully moved his token to its corresponding “Home” space on the game board. After playing four rounds a “Winner Card” is picked which establishes the criteria for determining the winner.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,788 describes a board game apparatus for simulating situations of economics and finance includes: (a) a game board defining a multiplicity of contiguous closed track extending about the game board, each space playing position bearing indicia of instructions for play of the game; (b) a plurality of playing pieces representing each player; (c) die for determining how many space playing positions to move each playing piece; (d) simulated money of different denominations for use by the players of the game; (e) cards indicating ownership of assets for purchase and sale by players using the simulated money; and (f) cards on one face indicating an event having a potential economic effect on the game value of an asset held by a player, and, when turned over to the other face after the players have had an opportunity to act upon an expected economic effect of the event, revealing the actual game economic effect of the event. The indicia of instructions for play of the game on the game board includes one or more spaces instructing a player to consult the cards indicating an event having potential economic effect and includes one or more spaces permitting a player to buy and/or sell the cards indicating ownership of an asset. A method of playing the board game is also described.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,051 describes a quiz football board game having a continuous path around its perimeter divided into consecutive playing spaces bearing instructions representing various things to do during the play of the game and a plurality of simulated football playing fields with yardage markings thereon. A playing piece is for each of the game players with each playing piece representing a football team and being of a size to fit within the playing spaces. A change mechanism is operable by the players in sequence for determining the number of playing spaces to be traversed per turn by each playing piece. A football marker is for indicating the position and advancement of a football alone one of the simulated football playing fields. A down marker is to indicate the correct down for each player. A plurality of professional football question and answer cards, a plurality of college football question and answer cards, a plurality of offensive penalty cards and a plurality of defensive penalty cards are also provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,478,086 describes a theme park board game comprising: a game board formed in a planar configuration and including a plurality of structures simulating the star attractions, minor attractions, rides, vendor and food areas normally found in a theme park, the various structures being connected by a plurality of circles, the circles granting players various game related aids and obstacles; the game having a plurality of accessories including: human and animal characters, tokens having differing thickness' and point values imprinted thereupon, a score tallying device, a chance device, play money formed in a variety of different instructional indicia; and a set of playing rules informing the uses how to play a game, each player moving their chosen character the number of circles dictated by the chance device, the players being required to visit specified board structures, players accumulating token points as they traverse the circles and structures of the game, the player with the most token points at the end of the game being declared the winner.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,359 describes an add-on board game which permits transitions between new and existing boards based on random factors. The game includes a variety of new features including travel cards, random penalties and bonuses, and different mechanisms for traveling around the board. The add-on board game may be adapted for use with the MONOPOLY board game.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,352,259 B1 describes a pet lover's board game. It includes a playing board having a predetermined continuous path with spaces for movement of pieces therealong in accordance with rules. The playing board has marked breed spaces designated a specified breed of animal selected from cats, dogs, birds, horses and combinations thereof which have specified cost to own and a landing fee value. The board also has marked action spaces and marked event spaces. There is a random movement mechanism for randomly determining numbers of spaces to be moved by players in accordance with the rules, a set of pet ownership papers for the marked breed spaces provided to a player in exchange for payment of play money, and a set of event cards. Play money is used to make purchases, pay fines and pay landing fees. In preferred embodiments, houses and maro-houses may be purchased to enhance values and increase landing fees.
Notwithstanding the prior art, the present invention is neither taught nor rendered obvious thereby.